Here's What You Can Start To Do When You're Fully Vaccinated

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Some Hillsborough residents might finally feel somewhat safe during the pandemic going inside stores and to social gatherings when they have been fully vaccinated.

According to the Hillsborough Health Department, as of Tuesday, more than 53 percent of Hillsborough County residents age 65 and older are fully vaccinated. Twenty-eight percent of county residents age 16 and older have also received both shots, or as required by Johnson and Johnson to be fully vaccinated, just one shot. Also as of Tuesday, 524,882 Hillsborough County residents have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

How Do You Know You Have Been Fully Vaccinated?

• People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson.

Health officials said if it has been less than two weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are not fully protected. They suggest to continue following all COVID-19 prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

Here's What You Can Start To Do If You've Been Fully Vaccinated, According To The Florida Health Department:

• You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart.
• You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying 6 feet apart, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• You can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues.
• If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
• You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
  • You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
  • You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
  • You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
  • You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
• If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
  • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

The COVID-19 Safety Precautions You Should Keep Following, According To The CDC

• You should still protect yourself and others in many situations by wearing a mask that fits snugly. Take this precaution whenever you are:
• In indoor public settings
• Gathering indoors with unvaccinated people (including children) from more than one other household
• Visiting indoors with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk

• You should still avoid indoor large gatherings.
• If you travel, you should still take steps to protect yourself and others. You will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Fully vaccinated international travelers arriving in the United States are still required to get tested within 3 days of their flight (or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months) and should still get tested 3-5 days after their trip.
• You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
• You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.
• People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken the immune system, should talk to their healthcare provider to discuss their activities. They may need to keep taking all precautions to prevent COVID-19.